Return to Harmony
by Sailor Destiny x3
Summary: Jane Winthrop and Lindsay Casey have been best friends since PreSchool. When one day Jane goes to Lindsay's house mansion with her father, things are turned upside down. EG TJ
1. PROLOGUE: Best Friends For Eternity

"Jane, have a wonderful year at boarding school, sweetheart," Gwen Winthrop tearfully hugged her seven-year-old daughter, being careful not to stain her brand new cashmere sweater.

"I will, mommy," the enthusiastic little girl smiled, her excitement showed greatly on her happy face.

Jane Marie Winthrop clutched her backpack, filled with all of her school supplies, and stood with her mother to watch her driver unload and carry her luggage to her room. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled into two long and gently curly ponytails. Gwen looked down lovingly at her daughter, thinking of how fast she had grown.

"Mommy, I see Lindsay, can I go to her?" Jane pleaded.

"Of course," Gwen smiled. She couldn't deny Jane a single thing and she certainly couldn't deny her seeing her friend just because she would miss her, "Can you introduce your friend to me, baby?"

"Yeah! Come on, mommy!" Jane grabbed her mother's arm and dragged her to meet her friend Lindsay.

As soon as Lindsay came into view, Gwen's heart started pounding and she felt oddly familiar. Gwen didn't know why, though, because Jane hadn't even introduced the two yet. However, Lindsay still reminded Gwen of someone she used to know a long time ago. Her big brown eyes, silky light brown, almost blonde, hair, and her dark tan skin couldn't help but upset Gwen.

"Lindsay, its me, Jane!" Jane went screaming to Lindsay and the two girls shrieked loudly. They had obviously missed each other very much, "Mommy, this is Lindsay and Lindsay this is my mommy!"

"Hi, Mrs. Winthrop," Lindsay smiled charmingly.

Gwen felt her heart melt at the girl's cute smile and friendly eyes, "Hello, Lindsay, nice to meet you!"

"We're going to go now, mommy. I'm going to miss you!" Jane sighed.

Gwen embraced her daughter once again and watched her skip arm in arm with Lindsay into the halls of Montgomery Prep Boarding School. _Just three more months until Christmas and I'll see Janie, again,_ Gwen thought as she headed back to her car, her driver waiting patiently in the driver's seat.

"I'm glad to be back," Jane giggled as she flopped down onto her bed.

"Me, too," Lindsay sighed.

The two girls were hanging out in the room that they were assigned and waited for the arrival of their room moderator. Being only six and seven-year-olds, they of course had to have someone watching over them.

"I miss my mommy and daddy, though," Lindsay pouted as she took out the picture of her mother and father from her suitcase.

"We only just got here!" Jane giggled.

"Yeah, but my driver drove me here because mommy and daddy had to do work," Lindsay grumbled. She placed the picture carefully back into her suitcase and laid back down on her bed, awaiting the arrival of her room moderator while Jane chattered on and on.

"Gee, I really hope our room moderator is Miss West because she's really nice!" Jane hoped.

"Yeah, she is and I hope she's our moderator, too! It'd be really stinky to have to live with Ms. Deuce for an entire school year!" Lindsay wrinkled her nose in disgust, remembering back to her preschool days – just a year ago – when she went to Montgomery Prep every morning for daycare preschool. That was when she lived closer to the school in Montville but now she lived in Harmony, where her parents used to live.

"She wasn't very nice," Jane agreed.

For being only six-years-old and seven-years-old, Lindsay and Jane were very sophisticated and had advanced vocabulary. They were starting kindergarten that year but were asked to join second grade, both declining after reasoning with their parents that they would miss their friends too much.

"I wish the maids would get here to put our things away," Lindsay moaned. Maids at Montgomery Prep were required to clean up the rooms of students as well as put their belongings away at their arrival. Basically, everything was taken care of so that the children could spend more time on their studies.

"Oh, I can put my own things away, because at my house we don't any maids!" Jane said excitedly. She jumped off her bed and quickly unpacked her suitcase and messily dumped its contents in her drawer and started shuffling it around, hoping to make it look neater.

"No, thanks. I'd much rather eat my mommy's broccoli and ketchup soup!" Lindsay pretended to barf.

_Knock-Knock_

"Come in," Jane shouted cheerfully, still giggling at the thought of Lindsay's mother's broccoli and ketchup soup.

"Hello, girls, I am your moderator, Mrs. Lemmings," a kind and gently voice called.

"Mrs. Lemmings!" Lindsay and Jane giggled, jumping into the arms of their second favorite teacher.

"I'm glad you aren't a mean-face teacher!" Lindsay smiled.

"Me too," Mrs. Lemmings laughed. "Excuse me, I have to bring my suitcase in!"

Mrs. Lemmings walked outside to retrieve her suitcase while Jane went up to Lindsay and said, "I can't wait for this year to start! Promise to be my best friend this year?"

"I promise to be your best friend forever!" Lindsay giggled.

The two girls pinky promised and hugged each other, each delighted to have acquired a best friend. Though they were best friends since preschool, they now were best friends for eternity.


	2. The Coldness of His Betrayal

**Home of Gwen and Ethan Winthrop**

_**Eight Years Later**_

"Jane, what's taking you so long?" Ethan Winthrop rapped on his daughter's bedroom door. They were planning to spend some quality father-daughter time that day and Gwen had packed a picnic for the two of them.

"Just one second," Jane called out, her voice distant and not paying any attention to whoever was standing outside her door.

Ethan groaned and knew immediately what she was doing. She was talking on the phone with her best friend Lindsay while applying her make-up on, which, by the way, took hours to do. Finally having enough, Ethan turned the doorknob and decided to march in there, hang up the phone, put down any make-up utensils, and drag his daughter out whether she put on her lipstick or not. He was halfway into the room when he noticed his daughter was _not_ on the phone and certainly _not_ putting on make-up. Instead, she was smiling as she stared at a picture of some guy with a lovesick expression on her face.

"Jane Marie Winthrop, who the hell is this?" Ethan angrily muttered, taking the picture frame out of his daughter's hands and throwing onto her fluffy pink couch.

"Gosh, dad, what is your problem?" Jane sighed, walking to her couch to retrieve her picture, "He's my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Since when did you have a boyfriend?" Ethan yelled angrily, growling at the picture frame Jane was holding. He was most certainly not going to accept the fact that his baby girl was dating a guy who probably just wanted to get into her pants.

"Since two months ago, and plenty more before that, _father_," Jane spat out the word _father_. She dusted her denim miniskirt of all dust as she sat down, crossed her legs and said, "Wonderful way to start out a father-daughter day, isn't it?"

Ethan frowned but he loosened up and embraced his daughter in his arms, "I'm sorry, okay? Its just that I don't think you are old enough to date, yet."

"Have you gone completely mental, dad?" Jane gasped, her mouth was wide open in shock, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm fifteen."

"Close your mouth, honey, you'll catch flies like that," Ethan said, ignoring his daughter's comment. "Let's go spend the day together _peacefully_," Ethan emphasized _peacefully_, knowing fully well that their days together ended in complete chaos, "but change your outfit first. It shows too much skin."

With that, Ethan left his daughter's room and went to start the car. Jane was absolutely furious with her father, thinking that he could control _her_ life.

"Okay, daddy, I'll change," Jane mimicked one of those fake angelic girls. She walked into her closet and picked out her black Soffe cheer shorts, rolling the band up twice (making her extra-small shorts even shorter than her miniskirt), and her tightest white cami.

With a smug grin on her face, she walked out of her house into the passenger seat of her father's new car. Clearly, Ethan was outraged by her choice of clothing.

"B-but that's _shorter_ and _skimpier_ than the other outfit!" Ethan gasped. He knew fully well that his popular and loveable daughter was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and if she wore that outfit (which showed off her great figure and greater legs) all the guys would be crowding over her.

"Hey, you said to change," Jane laughed.

"Grounded," Ethan muttered before driving off.

**Home of Theresa and Jared Casey**

"Lindsay, can you please tell your older brother to get his lazy butt out of bed?" Theresa Casey asked her daughter while attempting to scramble some eggs. Lindsay watched in horror as she watched her mother break bits of the eggshell into the frying egg.

"As long as you don't cook and let Myrna do her job," Lindsay wondered where her family's personal cook, Myrna Dexter, was.

"Excuse me if I was trying to be polite and offer Myrna a day off!" Theresa frowned at her daughter. Then turning back to the state-of-the-art stove, she smiled and said to her daughter, "I'll be sure to give you plenty of this!"

"Mother!" Lindsay groaned as she trudged up the long stairs of Crane Mansion (which technically should have been called Casey Mansion, but they would not own it anymore if they renamed it).

Lindsay threw open the door to her older half-brother's bedroom. Ethan Crane was sleeping in an uncomfortable – or rather gross – looking position with his head underneath his pillow and his arms underneath piles of books and his legs caught under piles of dirty underwear. Ethan's room was an absolute sty and just looking at it made Lindsay want to vomit.

"Hey Captain Underpants, wake up time!" Lindsay screamed into Ethan's ears. No reaction. "Ethan, get up, before I tell mom!" Still there was no reaction. "If you don't get up in five seconds, mom is going to give you five times as much of her home-made slop than usual!" With that being said, Ethan shot up, threw a shirt over his naked upper body and flew down the stairs in only his shirt and boxers.

"Wow," was all Lindsay said when she noticed that he was out of the room.

Lindsay returned to the kitchen where she saw her 18-year-old being grossed out by his mother's cooking. Her father, lucky him, was being treated to a gourmet meal of Frosted Flakes.

"Hey, Jared, are you sure you don't want some scrambled eggs?" Theresa asked her husband.

Looking panicked, Jared stuttered, "I-I think I'm p-pretty full."

"Come eat breakfast, Lindsay!" Theresa slid two disgustingly yellow eggs onto a plate.

"Daddy!" Lindsay squeaked.

"Is that my cell phone ringing?" Jared pretended to hear his cell phone ringing and quickly ran out of the room.

"I hear Jane calling me!" Lindsay shrieked, following Jared, and rushed out of the kitchen, leaving only Ethan and his mother.

"Well, that just leaves you and me. Here, have some more eggs," Theresa slid Lindsay's uneaten eggs onto Ethan's still full plate. Fighting his urge to cry, Ethan fought to swallow the unusually crunchy scrambled eggs.

Once in the safeness of her own room, Lindsay picked up her cell phone and called her best friend Jane. It was early afternoon and Jane was probably practicing her flute or something like that. All summer long, Lindsay and Jane spent their days calling each other because they could not see each other, for they lived in separate towns.

"_Hello?_" a cheerful voice said on the other line.

"Jane?" Lindsay asked.

"_Hey, Lindsay! What's up?_"

"Save me, please!" Lindsay bit her bottom lip, "My mom is trying to feed me, again!"

"_Don't you have a personal chef_?"

"Mom gave her the day off!"

"_Oh, that's not good_."

"Gee, I reckon it isn't," Lindsay said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"_Well, nothing could be worse than my dad finding out that I have a boyfriend_."

"Haven't you been seeing Logan for two months?"

"_Yeah, but dad didn't know so he's pretty wound up_."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"_Listen, are you free today_?"

"Yeah, I think so. Cheerleading was canceled at last minute and I can't make any plans with my Harmony friends because they're doing this Harmony High School thing."

"_Gee, and we only go to the best boarding school in the world_."

"Okay, Miss Sarcastic!"

"_Hey, you started it_," Jane laughed.

"Whatever."

"_Okay, so I was wondering if I could go to your house. I mean, sorry for being a bit rude just being blunt and asking like this, but I've never met your parents, or your brother, or have been to your house! You've been to mine tons of times. My father-daughter day with my dad isn't going so good so he said he'd drop me off at anyone's house, even if it means driving for 30 minutes. So can I go to your house?_"

"Well, duh! Get your designer outfit butt here now!"

"_Okay, ha ha, see you in thirty minutes, doll!_"

"See you, love you!"

"_Bye!_"

Quickly, Lindsay called up one of the family maids to clean up her room and ran downstairs to get rid of her mother's junk and set up some real food.

**Winston Town Park**

"Dad, can you drop me off at my friend's house?" Jane batted her eyelashes in an irresistibly cute way.

"I already told you I would, sweetie," Ethan finished up packing the picnic and brought out his car keys. In the car, Ethan was fumbling to fit his car key into the ignition but it wouldn't go in. Finally after realizing that he put it in the wrong way, he started the car and asked Jane, "Where is her house?"

"Its thirty minutes away in a town called Harmony," Jane said as she turned the navigation system on and then turned the volume up for the radio speakers. She was so busy trying to station it to the right channel that she didn't notice her dad had frozen in his seat.

"H-Harmony?" Ethan stuttered, hoping he had misheard.

"Yeah, Harmony," Jane said.

"Where's her house?" Ethan managed to say.

"I'm not exactly sure of the address but she said that if we get lost, look for the Crane Mansion. Its huge and we can't miss it."

Now Ethan could do nothing but sweat. His heart was racing as he thought of the place that he dreaded to go. There was no way he could go back. Not after the way he left.

"We're not going," Ethan said firmly. He backed out of the parking lot and planned on driving back to his house.

"But dad! You told me that you would drive me _anywhere_ and Lindsay's house is _anywhere_ and _anywhere_ is where I plan to go!" Jane said firmly. The girl would make a great lawyer.

"No."

"I HATE YOU!" Jane shrieked. Her long platinum blonde (which was straight and wavy at the end) flew around angrily as Jane turned sharply to glare out the window. Jane's word cut into Ethan. She had taken to saying that phrase for the past five months whenever he got her really angry.

"Fine, I'll take you," Ethan gave in after a long silence, turning his car around, heading in the direction of Harmony, Maine.

"Yes! Dad, I love you again!" Jane smiled widely.

"Love you too," Ethan said in a far-off voice. Harmony brought back so many horrible and tragic memories. The worst was Theresa Crane/Casey: his one true love and Jane's true biological mother. Not that Jane knew, of course. When they left Harmony, Jane was less than eleven-months-old. He would never forget his last conversation with Theresa, though. Never in a million years.

**Crane Mansion**

_**FLASHBACK**_

"I want full custody of my daughter back, Ethan," Theresa Crane said angrily. Theresa, Ethan, and Gwen were all in the sitting room where Theresa had yet to discover the true reason for their visit with Theresa and Ethan's daughter Jane.

"You have your daughter, Theresa, this angel is mine!" Gwen said. When she said that Theresa had her daughter meant that Theresa had Lindsay, Theresa's daughter with her fiancé Jared Casey.

"Jane will never be your daughter, Gwen," Theresa growled.

"You wish. Jane is my daughter and I will be the one she calls mommy," Gwen smiled smugly.

"No!" Theresa glared daggers at Gwen.

"Go back to that damn bitch-of-a-kid of yours," Gwen said hatefully, holding Jane closer to her.

"Don't you dare say that about Lindsay!" Theresa suddenly was much angrier and was about to pummel Gwen to the ground when Ethan caught her arms. "Let go, Ethan!"

"Theresa – we came here to say goodbye," Ethan said softly, "we're leaving Harmony."

"Not with _my_ daughter!" Theresa screamed.

She had long since given up on her love for Ethan and the only love of her life was Jared Casey. She already had a daughter with him, Lindsay, and planned to take back Jane so that she could live peacefully with her family: Little Ethan, Jane, Lindsay, and Jared. Gwen would never take her baby girl.

"She's my daughter and I can take her wherever I like," Gwen smiled.

"Over my dead body," Theresa felt tears threatening to break free.

"That can be arranged," Gwen snarled.

"Jane . . . come to mommy," Theresa smiled.

Jane twisted her body to look at Theresa and cocked her head to one side.

"Jane, where's mommy?" Gwen smiled.

Jane returned her attention to Gwen and started cooing at her stepmother. Watching this, Theresa felt her heart crashing and her world burning around her. Ethan, though he was married to Gwen, felt guilty and wanted nothing more than to kiss Theresa to make her feel better and share custody of Jane with her.

"J-Jane . . . Jane . . ." Theresa collapsed suddenly, with Ethan holding her arms.

"Now that's better," Gwen said with joy. She started walking out of the room with Jane in her arms and said, "Bye Theresa. I hope you burn in hell."

"Gwen, we can't leave her like this!" Ethan gathered Theresa in his arms.

"Yes, we can. Now let's go!" Gwen felt anger building inside of her. Even when Theresa was unconscious she managed to steal Ethan away from her. The door was slammed open and a worried Jared angrily stormed over to Ethan and took Theresa into his arms.

"Tess, Tess, wake up!" Jared said softly and lovingly. "Get the hell out of here!" Jared growled at Ethan and Gwen.

"Gladly," Gwen walked out with Jane and quickly got in the car. Ethan slowly got up and started to follow just as Theresa started stirring.

"Ethan, please give me my baby back!" Theresa cried.

Ethan ignored her and walked out without looking back. As he got into the driver's seat he saw Jared restraining Theresa and telling her there was nothing more she could do.

"IF I EVER SEE YOU OR GWEN AGAIN, I WILL HAVE YOUR SORRY ASSES HAULED TO PRISON!" Theresa cried.

With that, Gwen and Ethan drove off. They were going to out of Harmony for good and they couldn't feel much better. Well, Gwen anyway . . .

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

"Jane, wouldn't you much rather see that boyfriend of yours?" Ethan wondered.

"Dad, you don't have to pretend you like him. I forgave you already," Jane smiled.

Nothing could be worse than this situation. Ethan started sweating through his shirt and every second he was closer, he could feel the coldness of the jail bars. Worse – he could feel the coldness of his betrayal.


	3. My Last Name is Winthrop

**Car Ride With Jane and Ethan**

Ethan felt his hands sweating like crazy and his heart was racing almost twice the speed than usual. Why had he not noticed that Lindsay Casey was Theresa's daughter with Jared? He couldn't forget a name like that and besides, Lindsay looked almost exactly like Theresa, minus her hair and eyes.

"Yes, daddy, we're going to be there in ten minutes!" Jane exclaimed, breaking the twenty minutes of silence. She excitedly looked around outside the car to see any trace of an upcoming town called Harmony; "I can't wait to see Lindsay again after so many months! Oh, can she sleep over at our house? You know today?"

Ethan rubbed his eyes with his right hand, annoyed by his daughter's chattiness, "Whatever."

"Cool!" Jane smiled. Suddenly, she started thinking of her boyfriend, Logan, and drifted off into space.

"Whatever unnecessary thoughts you are thinking, stop it," Ethan said automatically.

"What?" Jane asked innocently.

"I know that look," Ethan said, a hint of pain in his voice. That was the same look Theresa got whenever she thought about Ethan all those years ago, and now Jared. Even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, because he is married to Gwen, he was so jealous of Jared. How unfair is it that Jared gets the love of Ethan's life forever? Theresa could change her loves while Ethan was stuck with one that constantly made him regret his marriage to her.

"Daddy, look! It says 'Welcome to Harmony'! We're almost there!" Jane smiled. Then, without any warning, Jane felt as if she got all the wind knocked out of her. Had she seen this place before? She looked out to see a Bed and Breakfast that looked almost like home. _No, no, it must have been in a dream. Or déjà vu_? Jane thought.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Ethan asked, noticing how Jane was all shaken up.

"Y-yeah," Jane lied.

Ethan noted that they were awfully close to Crane Mansion now and wanted to turn back. Even if he just dropped off Jane, Theresa would recognize her immediately. Maternal instincts sure do help, you know. Also, the fact that Jane's hair color, platinum blonde, was almost the same as her baby hair color did not help. Along with her sparkling blue eyes and her same adorable smile, she was almost exactly the same Jane as when they left – of course, now she was a teenager.

"Don't you have cheerleading practice, Jane?" Ethan asked hopefully, crossing his toes (he _is_ driving, remember?) and hoped to God that she did.

"Tomorrow," Jane said while filing her nails.

Ethan let out a long groan as he saw the mansion coming into view and hoped Jane didn't see it. He got lucky and saw that Jane was still looking for it.

"There it is!" Jane screamed. Ethan's luck ran out, he definitely had no way out now. He kept thinking of all the things he could do to back out when he noticed that he was now driving the Crane gates, stopped and informed the guards who he was (he just said Jane's father, haha, great security), and moved towards the front of the house.

"Have fun, Jane," Ethan smiled weakly, as Jane got out of the car.

"Oh, no. Daddy, you _have_ to stay and meet Lindsay's parents!" Jane begged, making Ethan's heart stop.

"No, its okay. They're probably busy people," Ethan said.

"No. Well, yeah, they are, but Lindsay said that you and her parents should meet!" Jane pleaded, making puppy eyes.

"No! Stop doing that," Ethan sighed, he could never resist giving Jane anything when she was making puppy eyes.

"Come on, please?" Jane said.

"Fine," Ethan grunted, not believing what he just said. As he got out of his car, he wondered if he should leave the ignition on so that he could make a clean getaway before the cops came. Wait, why was he worrying? _I am Jane's father and I have a right to be with her_, he told himself encouragingly.

Jane ran up the steps and rang the doorbell; it opened right after by a doorman.

"Welcome to Crane Mansion, may I have your names and your business here?" the old man said, in a bored way.

"Yes, my name is Jane Win –"

"Honey! Wait, let me get up there first," Ethan cut in before she could finish telling the man her last name.

"Okay, as I was saying. My name is Jane Winthrop and this is my father, Ethan, and we are here to see Lindsay Casey," Jane smiled.

Ethan half-expected the doorman to call Crane Security but realized the man did not know who they were when he started showing them inside.

"JANE!" an excited voice screamed out.

"LINDSAY!" Jane screamed back as the two girls ran to each other to hug.

"Gosh, it's been so long since I've last seen you," Lindsay smiled. Ethan noticed that Lindsay had the same smile as Jane, which meant she had the same smile as Theresa. He could not help but notices how much like Theresa she, Lindsay, looked like and like Jane, Lindsay was very pretty.

"So our parents _must_ meet," Jane smiled.

"Yeah, totally," Lindsay agreed. Then, pulling Jane closer to tell her a secret, Lindsay whispered, "You're dad is pretty hot."

"EW LINDS!" Jane cried, extremely disgusted. Actually, what Lindsay said was true. The years were very good to him and instead of aging, Ethan just looked more mature.

"Lindsay, honey, where are you?" a familiar female voice wondered. Ethan froze. He recognized that voice as his past, present, and future love. That voice was none other than Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane Casey (sorry, its so long but I had to make a point).

"We're in here, mom," Lindsay shouted.

"Hey, honey, where's your friend? I'm dying to meet her," Theresa giggled. Ethan gazed at her lovingly. Theresa had not changed much at all and her impeccable fashion taste was still there. She looked absolutely gorgeous and stunning and – well, words could not explain what Ethan felt.

"Mom, this is Jane, Jane this is Mom, I mean Theresa," Lindsay laughed.

"Hi, Mrs. Casey," Jane smiled. For some reason, this woman felt familiar.

"Hello, J –" Theresa stopped and gasped when she saw Jane. _No, it can't be Jane. Stop thinking that, she _isn't_ Jane_! "U-um, hello J-Jane. Um, what's your last name, sweetheart?"

"Winthrop," Jane said, suddenly causing Theresa to faint.

**Author's Note**

Hmm… What'll happen next? Thanks for the reviews, and I'm glad you enjoy the story!

_Next chapter_: Theresa meets Ethan again, and maybe even Gwen . . . Jane finds out who her actual mother is, how will she feel about having a biological mother and a stepmother . . . Jared steps into the picture and he faces off with Ethan.

THANKS FOR READING 3


	4. Jane's Real Mom

**Crane Mansion**

_Recap:_

"Hello, J –" Theresa stopped and gasped when she saw Jane. _No, it can't be Jane. Stop thinking that, she _isn't_ Jane_! "U-um, hello J-Jane. Um, what's your last name, sweetheart?"

"Winthrop," Jane said, suddenly causing Theresa to faint.

------------------------------

As Theresa was starting to regain consciousness, Ethan slipped out of the room, hoping to God Theresa hadn't noticed him. Why hadn't he and Gwen changed Jane's name when she was younger? Well, besides Theresa putting tight security around those government-official things, changing Jane's name would have been so much easier.

"Is your f-father . . . Ethan?" Ethan heard Theresa gasp.

"Yes, do you know him?" Jane asked innocently, having no clue whatsoever as to what was happening.

"Is he here?" Theresa bit her lip.

"Yeah... somewhere," Jane said as she looked around for her father. "Daddy? Meet Lindsay's mom!"

Ethan tensed up and frowned. Knowing his daughter, he knew Jane wouldn't quit until she got what she wanted. Building up his courage, Ethan stepped out from the shadows. He had no reason to feel guilty. After all – he and Gwen DID have custody of Jane. Maybe the custody agreement didn't mean forever, but still.

"Hi, Theresa," Ethan chuckled nervously as Theresa shot him a dirty glare that pierced his heart so sharply. Tears suddenly fell sharply from Theresa's big brown eyes, as she looked left and right to Jane and to Ethan. She finally stopped letting her eyes wander and held onto the banister, she felt faint and she most certainly did not want to fall.

"You bastard," Theresa said faintly.

"Hey, Mrs. Casey, you have no right to say that to my dad!" Jane said as she started scrutinizing every aspect of Theresa.

"No, no, honey," Theresa whispered, stepping closer to Jane. "Don't you remember me?"

"Uhh… no. Am I supposed to?" Jane giggled nervously, stepping away as Theresa got closer.

"Oh, silly me. You were only 11-months-old then," Theresa smiled.

"Daddy," Jane went to her father and hid behind him, as if she were 5-years-old again. The look on Theresa's face could have broken every single heart on earth. She looked so hurt and put back. The pain she felt inside couldn't be explained. How would _you_ explain it? Your long-lost daughter comes back after thirteen years with her damn father that broke your heart millions of times and now you scare her. Not very pleasing.

"I am your mother," Theresa said, causing Jane and Lindsay to gasp. Ethan closed his eyes and put his face in his hands in shame. He could not believe that Theresa would be so blunt when telling Jane such important information.

"N-no, you're not. I _have_ a mother!" Jane screamed, suddenly very angry. "Lindsay, no offense, but your mom is nuts!"

Lindsay's jaw snapped wide open in shock as she shrieked, "Take that back! Are you kidding me? What about _your_ mom? She's a freaking –"

"SHUT UP!" Jane screeched. Theresa let out a long groan. She had started a fight between her two girls.

"Girls stop!" Ethan yelled, getting in between the two angry teenagers.

"Ethan Winthrop!" Theresa screamed, once again realizing that Ethan was in the room. "I-I don't know what to say to you, you dirty heart-breaking bastard!"

"Huh?" Jane asked, confused.

"Look Theresa I –"

"SAVE IT!" Theresa's eyes looked as if fire was set to them, her normally calm expression was turned to hate and disgust, "I told you that if I ever saw you or Gwen again, I'd haul your sorry as –" Theresa looked at the two bewildered girls and instead of saying some censored language, she replaced it with, "I mean, sorry butts to prison!"

"Theresa, just let me –"

"YOU WANT ME TO LET YOU EXPLAIN AFTER YOU TOOK MY DAUGHTER AWAY FROM ME FOR THIRTEEN YEARS?" Theresa screamed.

"SHE WAS IN MY AND GWEN'S CUSTODY!" Ethan screamed, losing his cool.

Jane's face was blank and you could not tell what she was thinking or feeling. How was she supposed to process this information? "Am I adopted?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"No, sweetheart you're not," Ethan smiled encouragingly.

"Th-then what do you mean custody?" Jane's voice shook.

"Um…" Ethan stuttered.

"Gwen is your _stepmother_," Theresa said to Jane, spitting out the word 'stepmother', "and I am your biological and true mother. You probably don't remember but I spent months fighting you, baby! Everyday, I –"

"Stop! I don't want to believe you!" Jane cried, covering her ears and crouching down to the floor.

"Mom, is what your saying true?" Lindsay asked, totally stunned.

"Yes," Theresa said, "every word of it and –"

"Tess?" Jared's voice called out, it was getting closer and he was obviously descending the stairs to where Theresa, Ethan, and the kids were, "Where's my blue tie?"

"Daddy?" Lindsay called out.

"Hey, Linds, did _you_ see my –," Jared stopped for a second when his eyes met Ethan's, he frowned and let out a low growl, "tie."

**Author's Note:** Sorry this is so short but I really don't have time right now! Reviews would be great but this chapter completely sucked so yeah..


	5. Let's Have Some Tea

_Dedicated to: Terri_

_Thanks for the emails and the support_

_I really would have left this incomplete with you_

_Thank you so much _

"What the hell is that jackass doing here?" Jared growled, walking protectively in front of Theresa and Lindsay.

"Taking my daughter back home," Ethan barked. The two held a silent staring contest, daring one of them to back away from the piercing glares they were sending each other.

"No! I want an explanation as to what is going on!" Jane yelled. She was completely fed up with the adults getting caught up in their own worlds, making hers more difficult. Was she really supposed to believe that her mother – or stepmother, as Theresa said – _wasn't_ her mother? It was true that for the majority of her childhood Jane was left with the nannies, her father, or one of her grandmothers but she still loved her mother – err, _stepmother_.

"Well, sweetheart –," Theresa said.

"Don't bother Theresa. We are leaving. Come on Jane," Ethan took his daughter by the shoulder to only be stopped by Jane putting her foot down and Jared firmly planting his arm on Ethan's shoulder, preventing him from leaving.

"Remember what Theresa told you that day? Ring any freaking bells?" Jared asked, his voice was dangerously low and Lindsay cringed. Her father only did that when he was over the top, and we mean over the world, mad.

"No. I don't think so," Ethan said coolly. He clearly remembered what Theresa had just told him a few minutes before.

"_SAVE IT!" Theresa's eyes looked as if fire was set to them, her normally calm expression was turned to hate and disgust, "I told you that if I ever saw you or Gwen again, I'd haul your sorry as –" Theresa looked at the two bewildered girls and instead of saying some censored language, she replaced it with, "I mean, sorry butts to prison!"_

"Well let me refresh your memory," Jared pulled back his fist and was about to slam it hard into Ethan's face. A scream was heard at the top of the stairs before Jared had a chance to make contact with Ethan's nose.

"Grandmother!" Jane screamed, running to the top of the stairs to hug her grandmother Rebecca. Rebecca's face was utterly white and full of terror. When Jane went to hug her, she didn't notice and only looked bug-eyed at the sight of seeing Ethan at the Crane Mansion.

"Rebecca. I told you that you are no longer welcomed at Crane," Theresa growled. Without responding, and carefully peeling of Jane, Rebecca turned around without a word, taking out her cell phone.

**With Rebecca….**

_Ring, ring, ring…_

"Hello?" a female voice picked up on the other line.

"Gwennie, we have a problem!" Rebecca choked.

"What?" Gwen Winthrop sighed exasperatedly. Her mother was getting on her nerves lately.

"JANE IS HERE AT CRANE!" Rebecca screamed into the phone, then quickly looked left and right to make sure no one heard her.

"_What did you just say_?" Gwen hissed.

"Get your butt here now!" Rebecca whispered into the phone and hung up without a reply.

On the other side of the line, Gwen shakily placed the phone into the receiver. Her breathing was shallow and she felt very hot and her nerves were getting the best of her. Then, she grabbed her car keys and jumped into the car.

"No one is taking _my_ baby girl," she grumbled before taking off.

"Why was Grandmother here, dad?" Jane asked inquisitively.

"Rebecca's your _grandmother_?" Lindsay said, disgust tainting her voice. She remembered all the times she spent with that horrible woman. It was absolutely _disgusting_.

"Yes – what about her?" Jane snapped. In just a short time, the girls turned against each other. Insulting each other's family in their minds.

"Hideous woman," Lindsay smirked.

"Well, you know you backstabbing bi –"

"STOP!" Ethan cut in before it got rated R.

The two girls returned to staring daggers at each other.

"Get out now, you fucking bastard. You aren't welcomed here," Jared hissed, pulling Theresa in closer to him. Emotions welled up inside of Theresa, making her burst out crying.

"Give me back my daughter!" she hiccupped.

"I am _not_ your daughter!" Jane barked.

"Good because I'd _hate_ to have a brat as a sister!"

"WELL THEN IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY, ISN'T IT?"

"How would you feel, Jane, if you knew that Gwen had _kidnapped_ you?" Theresa dragged out the word 'kidnapped'. Jane froze immediately and stared at Theresa.

"W-what?"

"Yes, that's right. Your so-called '_mother_' only has you because she _stole_ you from me!" Theresa fluttered her eyes shut and tried to get the images of that horrible night out of her mind.

"No, she didn't!" Jane said, only half believing Theresa. She couldn't wholly trust her but she couldn't trust her 'mother' either. She knew that Gwen had been in quite a few asylums.

"Theresa, I –," Ethan stammered.

"Save it, Ethan. Don't you think you've done enough?" she said calmly. Ethan couldn't help but feel as if she had just torn him apart. Ethan shut up. Silence overcame everything and the only noise left in the awkward room was the sound of Jared's low growls directed toward Ethan.

Finally giving up, Jane sighed, "Can we talk over a snack or something?"

Theresa smiled and said, "Of course, baby!"

Jane winced as Theresa called her 'baby' but did not object. Lindsay continued to glare at Jane before Jane put out her hand to her, saying, "I'm sorry Lin. Can you forgive me for being such a bitch?"

Lindsay softened her gaze but still glared at her piercingly. Looking down at Jane's open hands, she said, "No."

"What?" Jane asked, heartbroken.

After a minute or two, Lindsay cracked a smile and said, "Psyche!" she giggled and pulled Jane into a hug, "Though you have been quite a drama queen, Jane Marie Winthrop."

"Right back at ya," Jane slung her arm around Lindsay's shoulders and the two of them walked into the tearoom gossiping. Theresa smiled at them and followed quickly, escaping her husband's tight hold on her. When it was just Ethan and Jared in the room, the silence and tension was so thick that it could be cut with a very large knife.

"Do anything stupid and I swear you will never see again," Jared threatened Ethan and walked in. Ethan sighed and followed him, completely unaware of the fact that Rebecca Hotchkiss (ex Crane) had watched the entire scenario.

"I understand what you're saying and I'm sorry that you lost your daughter but there is no way that I could be your daughter," Jane said, still in complete denial. Theresa sighed and looked to Ethan or Jared for support, finding none. Ethan had decided to zone out and Jared was cracking his knuckles dangerously.

'_Well, at least Ethan is letting me explain and didn't drag her off_' she thought with a bright smile.

"And why not?" Lindsay asked, sipping her mocha frappacino as if she were a model.

"Well . . . number one: Look at my hair and look at your mother's and my father's," Jane motioned toward the two. "I have platinum blonde and there is no way that I could have gotten hair like this from them. Besides, my mother," (_Theresa cringed_) "has hair almost exactly like mine."

"Well, I guess your twin brother's genes _could_ have rubbed off on you," Theresa said thoughtfully. Jane looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Mom!" a male voice called out. A handsome young man, named Ethan Crane, walked into the tearoom (causing Jane to drool without stop).

"Yes, honey?" Theresa asked happily. Though Jane did not believe her, Theresa felt as if she were halfway there! She would soon have her baby girl back with her.

"I – wait… is that – JANE?" Ethan gasped. Jane quickly stopped her drooling and groaned. What was the matter with these people? She _couldn't_ be Theresa's daughter. Or – maybe that guy, Theresa's son, had just known her when she was younger.

"Hello," Jane muttered.

"No way…" Ethan Jr. (A.N. - as I will call him from this point on) gasped. Then Ethan Jr. turned to face Ethan Winthrop and growled with much hate, "_Dad_."

Jane's eyes bugged out.

"WHAT!" Jane screamed.

"Hey, kiddo," Ethan smiled, hoping to lighten Ethan Jr.'s mood.

"Shut it," Ethan Jr. hissed.

"What is –," Jane stuttered.

"JANIE!" a voice called from the entrance hall. "JANE!"

"_Gwen_?" Ethan said with fear. '_Crap, she found us. She's going to kill me_!' he thought.

"Jane, darling, where are you?"

"Why is that bitch here?" Theresa snapped. Obviously, Ethan called her here to drag him out of this situation. So it had all been a trap to bring her down. Ethan had plotted to take her daughter away from her once again. "Ethan . . ."

**Author's Note:** And cut! Sorry I haven't updated in almost a MONTH! But I will continue until the very end. Sorry to Terri.. I know I said I'd update last Friday or something but things came up. Hope y'all can forgive me! Tell me what you think of this chapter and I will do an audience poll about the next chapter:

_**Should Jane go back with Ethan and Gwen or go to Theresa and Jared?**_

**a) Definitely Ethan and Gwen.**

**b) Theresa and Jared, baby!**

**c) Neither, duh…**

**d) Just dump her on the streets..**

Thanks! I'll try to update soon (though school has been making things hella crazy)!


	6. Give Theresa a Chance

The tearoom air was so tense and full of emotion. Ethan Jr. quickly left the room, obviously too angry at his father (Ethan Sr.) to speak. Theresa glared daggers at Ethan, convinced that he was the one that called Gwen here.

"What the hell is _she_ doing here?" Theresa spit out.

"I-I honestly d-don't know," Ethan stuttered. He groaned and put his head in his hands. His life was over. As soon as Gwen walked in, Theresa would throw Ethan into her pile of disgusting memories and Gwen would probably divorce him (not likely as she was so completely infatuated with him) for almost losing her, her daughter. _Please let this be a dream_, Ethan groaned.

"Jane, baby! Mommy's here," Gwen called out, her footsteps were getting quicker and closer to the room. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Gwen stepped into the tearoom.

"M-mother," Jane said nervously. She bit her lip, unsure of what she thought of her mother. Of course she loved her. She had, after all, raised her (more or less because Jane was almost always in the care of her nannies or her father) but after what Theresa had told her, she wasn't sure anymore.

"Oh, baby, it's okay. Mother's here and she'll take you away from that mean old witch," Gwen opened her arms to hug Jane but Jane stepped away. Gwen frowned and snapped at Theresa, "What did you do to my daughter?"

"I did nothing to _MY_ daughter," Theresa hissed. The two women started a staring contest, looking ready to rip each other's throats out.

"Jane, Lindsay, go upstairs," Jared, said firmly.

"No. My daughter is not going anywhere with the spawn of Theresa," Gwen growled.

Lindsay's jaw dropped as she muttered, "Bitch."

"_Oh, no she didn't_!" Theresa screamed. She launched herself at Gwen but felt two strong arms grab her waist.

"Theresa, you don't want to get any police involved," Jared told her.

"Oh, that is the least of my worries!" Theresa barked. She grit her teeth and said lowly, "Let _go_ of me!"

"No."

"NOW!" Theresa dug her nails into Jared's arms and jumped on Gwen as Jared cried out in pain.

Jane and Lindsay's eyes widened in horror as they watched their mothers practically killing each other. Theresa grabbed bunch of Gwen's bleached hair and tugged as hard as she could while Gwen started ribbing Theresa hard. Ethan and Jared both stood at the side, trying to pull the two women apart without getting hurt themselves.

"STOP IT!" Lindsay and Jane screamed. The adults stopped and looked up, but not without Theresa pulling out a bunch of Gwen's hair first.

"Instead of fighting, just tell me the whole story," Jane sighed. "Please."

"Well, we used to live in Harmony and you, me, and your father were a happy family before this evil wench started destroying our lives because she was –" Gwen talked fast and furiously.

"Liar!" Theresa gasped.

"Daddy, why don't you tell me?" Jane said sweetly, looking up to Ethan.

"Yes, Ethan. Why _don't_ you?" Gwen asked, looking up at him expectantly. She looked happy because she knew her husband would tell her the truth – or at least Gwen's truth.

"I – I," Ethan gulped. The glares he was getting from both Theresa and Gwen would be enough to melt all the snow from the ice age. He sighed before simply saying, "Theresa is your biological mother."

"_WHAT_?" Gwen screamed.

"Oh," Jane looked down.

"JANE WE ARE LEAVING!" Gwen grabbed Jane's hand and roughly pulled her away from the tearoom. Jane looked back to see Theresa breaking down, tears pouring down heavily. With a sigh, she thought, _I'm so going to regret this later_.

"No," Jane said, pulling her hand out of Gwen's reach.

"What did you just say to me?" Gwen shrieked.

"I-I, well. If Theresa _is_ my mother, I-I think I should at least give her a chance," Jane smiled. "And I still love you mother, even if you _are_ my stepmother."

"I am _not_ your stepmother! They poisoned your mind! What did they tell you?" Gwen's eyes grew wide and her breathing was extremely heavy.

"I think I've heard enough over the last two hours," Jane said. "I'm fifteen now, in case you haven't noticed (which I don't think you have mother with the way you talk to me), and I think I can make my own decisions. And the decision I have come to now . . . is that I want to give Theresa a chance."

"NO!" Gwen screamed. She grabbed Jane by the hand and forcefully pulled her away. "_I_ am your mother! If you can't remember what I have done for you in the past, I'll gladly remind you NOW!"

Jane looked back to the people in the room. It was evident that she was now very scared. She didn't know who this woman was. She had never seen this side of Gwen. It was almost – almost neurotic.

"I have bought you everything you could have possibly wanted, I brought you to school on the first day _every single year_, I –"

"No! I mean, that may be true but in case you haven't noticed – dad's the one that gives me everything I want, he earns the money, you just take me to the mall. True you bring me to school every year but that doesn't mean a thing! A lot of people's moms do that! And another thing . . . if you didn't have anything to hide, why are you resisting me staying with Theresa so much?" Jane said wisely, remaining calm.

Gwen froze in place. That question had stung and she had no answer to that. Jane tried to remove her hand from Gwen's grasp but Gwen was holding on tighter than ever.

"Ow, you're hurting me," Jane winced. Theresa quickly rushed over and pulled Jane's hand out of Gwen's reach.

"I think you heard her," Theresa smiled smugly.

Gwen growled and started laughing hysterically, "You'll never take my baby away! NO! YOU WON'T!" Gwen inched towards the nearest table, which had a pair of scissors on it (**Author's Note: hmm… déjà vu, Passions watchers?**), and grabbed them. Gwen raised the scissors over her head, ready to stab Theresa but Ethan acted fast and kicked the scissors out of her hands.

"Call police, I think Gwen needs help," Ethan called out, pinning Gwen on the ground.

"Somebody's lost their marbles," Lindsay said coolly but obviously frightened.

"_That_ is the person I've lived with for fifteen years?" Jane said in disbelief, her voice shaking.

"Fourteen and a half, sweetie," Theresa reminded her.

_**ONE HOUR LATER**_

"So," Jane said slowly, "is it alright if I stay with you for the summer Theresa?"

"YES!" Theresa shrieked in excitement.

"So, dad… what is it about Ethan calling _you_ dad?" Jane smiled.

**Author's Note: **Yay another chapter! One more chapter until the end of the story! This chapter was sort of psycho and neurotic, he-he, so I understand if it wasn't your taste. Next will be much happier but with a twist! Happy reading!

ANOTHER POLL:

**Should I just add another chapter to close this story off or should I add alternate endings?**

**a) Alternate endings, duh!**

**b) One chapter, please.**


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